After the Hallows
by Mrs Doctor Who 11
Summary: Starts off with several sweet oneshots, GARRY, HON, etc, may develop into a storyline about the Potter and Weasley youth.


Ginny sat in the patched, faded armchair, twisting her hands together.

She stared straight ahead, her gaze upon the wall but her mind elsewhere.

She stared around their little living room.

It was around seven in the evening and a fire crackled in the grate, heating the cosy room.

Most of the furniture resembled that of the Burrow's - they had decided they wanted a cosy, homely look rather than a modern one.

The room was filled with sofas and armchairs that, like the Weasley family, were all patched, frayed and quite different from one another and yet, they looked exactly right together, grouped around the fire.

Many a happy time had been spent in this house with her family; she still couldn't work out how thirteen Weasleys, two Potters and one Lupin managed to fit through the front door, but somehow they did and the room always looked that much brighter for it.

On the wall were several photographs; her and Harry on their wedding day, her red hair curly and streming down her back, her white train flowing behind her,whilst Harry looked smart in his tuxedo, though his hair was sticking up, as usual, both laughing and kissing every now and then.

A photograph of Harry's parents and Sirius, holding baby Harry, hung next to it, all of them smiling and waving.

Several other pictures hung all over the walls;Harry holding Teddy on the day of his Christening; Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, looking young as they celebrated the fall of Lord Voldemort with the rest of the Wizarding World, Harry, her brothers and father sat outside a tent at the Quidditch World Cup a few months ago, squinting at the camera as the sun shone brightly.

A huge banner-like photo was stretched across the wall above the fireplace; the Weasleys, Teddy, Andromeda, Harry and Ginny all stood together, showing just how huge their family was.

Ginny liked this picture best of all because none of them were posed for the photo - everyone was stood chatting and laughing, and it looked like the most natural thing in the world.

The oak kitchen table stood near the right corner of the room, though when her family came to visit there was never enough space around it; they ate outside, and if it rained, simply conjured up gazebos.

She loved this place, that was for sure, but it meant a lot more to Harry than it did to her.

The house was in Godric's Hollow, the very house, in fact, that Harry and his parents had lived in.

Of course, it had been destroyed the night Voldemort killed Lily and James, but when Harry mentioned his hope of moving into the place where his parents had lived, it became almost a group project at the Ministry to help him rebuild it.

The kindness of others amazed her - though it helped that one of her brothers was Minister for Magic.

It had taken around two years, but eventually it was finished, and on the day they moved in, Harry proposed.

He had left the sign that told people about his parents' deaths on the gate, and it made them both smile when they walked past it and saw the scrawled messages of support towards Harry that had been written there as long as twenty one years ago.

People still turned up at the house to give their support to the Boy Who Lived occasionally, and Harry never turned them away.

For weeks after the Battle of Hogwarts, when they had been staying at the Burrow, people would turn up at the door, shake Harry's hand vigorously and thank him for saving the lives of them and their children.

This house had become home the second she walked into it, and she wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.  
>Suddenly, the front door opened, making her jump.<p>

Harry's head appeared around the door, a grin on his face, his green eyes glimmering and his hair sticking out of place as usual.

"Hiya!" he greeted her, leaning in for a kiss, and she smiled vaguely in response.

"Good day?" she asked as he walked over to the oven and took his (now slightly burnt) pork chops out of the oven, grabbing a knife and fork from the drawer.

"Great." he said, with a mouthful of pork. "We finally caught Greyback! He put up a fight but there's nothing more ferocious than a pack of Aura's who've all had a member of their family killed or injured by the man you're trying to catch!"

"Really? Everyone there knew someone attacked by a werewolf?" Ginny asked.

"Well, obviously there's your brother - Ron hates Fenrir for changing Charlie and then there's Bones, his dad got attacked by one a few years ago; Terris, he had a cousin who Greyback killed and Platt, who's a werewolf himself - he got turned by Greyback. His wife left him because of it, so he really couldn't wait for this - practically had to drag him away, or he would have killed Greyback there and then!" Harry told her, tucking into his meal with gusto - Ginny knew he'd probably not had time to eat since breakfast; a normal day at the office for Harry was rushing around catching ex-Death Eaters and general law-breakers, so there was no time to stop for a sandwich.

"No injuries today then?" she smiled, glad that for once Harry wasn't coming home with an arm in a sling or being helped through the door by one of her brothers, his leg in plaster.

"No - apart from Platt, we stayed well back - a couple of well-aimed charms and we could take him back to the ministry, no problem." Harry looked extremely pleased.

His face was flushed and his eyes sparkled excitedly.

It was the same expression he always had after catching someone, and it was the same expression he had on his face all those years ago as they were being lifted out of the Chamber of Secrets by Falkes.

He'd finished his meal now, so he put his plate in the sink, waved his wand and the sponge next to the sink began to wipe the plate clean.

"Harry?" she said quietly, looking at him nervously.

"Yes?" he smiled, walking back into the living room and sitting down at the desk in the corner.

He pulled some papers, a quill and an ink pot from the desk and began to write on them.

He glanced over at her when she didn't say anything else.

"Are you alright? You look very pale." he peered at her worriedly.

She struggled to meet his gaze.

"I'm pregnant."

There was a silence.

Her heart sank; she had been worried how he'd react; what if he didn't want a baby?

A huge smile split his face, and before she knew it he was hugging her, whirling her round.

"Are you sure?" he looked ecstatic, and she grinned too as she realised how stupid she had been to think he wouldn't be delighted to know he was going to be a father.

"Yes, I took a few tests and they were all positive."

"Oh... oh my God!" he hugged her again as he began to laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" she asked.

"I have no idea! I'm just so happy, I think!"

"Really?"

He pulled her out of the hug, but held onto her arms.

"Are you kidding? This couldn't have come at a better time! We have enough money that we can afford to buy everything he/she needs, we've been married a few years so if you weren't then we'd probably be trying for one soon anyway... this is perfect, _you_ are perfect!" he kissed her and she smiled against his lips, content to know that everything couldn't have gone better.

* * *

><p>It was around three o clock in the morning when Ginny woke up and immediately knew something was wrong.<p>

She felt a dull ache in her chest and the bed felt cold.

Looking to her side, she saw that Harry wasn't there.

He might have been called out by work, but usually he left a note on the bedside table so it didn't look like it.

She descended the stairs, and saw a faint light spilling underneath the living room door.

She looked at the clock on the wall with the words 'Home', 'Work', 'School', 'Mortal Peril', 'Prison', 'Travelling' on it (a wedding present from her parents) and saw that the hand with Harry's face was still on 'Home'.

Opening the door slowly, she peered around it and then entered at the sight of Harry curled up in a corner, an open book in his hands.

The fire, the only source of light in the room lit up his face and she could see he was shaking and sobbing.

"Harry? Harry what is it?" she hurried across the room towards him, worried.

He looked at her hopelessly, tears streaming down his face.

"I couldn't save them Ginny! I couldn't save any of them!" the book in his hands was a photo album, but not just any photo album.

She could see a picture of Fred, with George by his side as usual, both in suits and grinning; it was the day they opened their shop.

Next to that was a picture of Remus and Tonks on their wedding day, Tonks' hair its familiar shade of pink and Lupins eyes twinkling as he smiled.

There was a photograph of Dumbledore, sat in his office, a jar of sherbert lemons in front of him, and a picture of Sirius and Harry, both laughing at something that had just been said; neither noticed that someone had taken a picture of them.

It was an album in memory of the dead, of all the people they had lost whilst fighting Lord Voldemort.

They'd pieced it together shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts and sent a copy to everyone they knew who had been affected.

It saddened her to think of how thick the album was, how many lives had been lost.

Her own eyes filled with tears as she caught sight of a picture of Colin Creevey and his brother Dennis, their bright smiles taking up most of their face as they stood on either side of a fourteen year old Harry; she and Harry had attended the funerals of all who had died in the Battle and Colin's dad had come up to Harry and shook him by the hand, thanking him for being so kind to his sons, who had 'always spoke so highly of Harry Potter'.

Trying to blink away her tears, she looked at him: "What's brought this on? This all happened years ago, why are you getting so upset about it now?"

"It's my fault!" he ignored what she had just said and carried on crying. "I didn't even fight! I just ran around the castle, trying to find Horcruxes! I didn't put my life on the line, but they did! And some of them didn't even know me properly, some of them didn't even like me! But they still did it, they still died to save me!"

"Harry, this isn't your fault! They didn't die because of you, you weren't the one killing them! They died because Voldemort killed them; if it weren't for you, he'd have killed all of them! Harry, you may not have fought hands-on, but you did sacrifice yourself to save them!" Ginny wiped her tears away with her hand, swallowed and then carried on. "When you went into the woods, you thought you were going to your death, you were prepared to die to save them! So don't ever say that it was your fault that they died, that you weren't strong enough to fight because Harry James Potter you are the bravest man I have ever known!" she dissolved into tears of her own and he pulled her to him as they both cried.

It was as if they were back there,at the battle, spells wizzing past their ears and cries of the injured echoing through the halls.

They were right in the middle of it all, and it seemed ironic that so many had to die to save the others' lives.

"So what's going on? Why are you thinking about this now?" she tried to stop sobbing, but now she was thinking about it and all that filled her head was her brothers face, how her stomach had dropped as she walked towards her family in the Great Hall and saw them sobbing over a body, the way she had looked at all of them and realised that it must have been Fred who had died.

"Ginny, you're pregnant. I am so happy, I really am, but... Voldemort was just one dark wizard. And think of all the people who died to destroy him. There's going to be other evil wizards, and who says that they're not going to be worse than Voldemort? Soon, I'm going to have something to protect, I'm going to have a son or daughter who I need to be prepared to die for. If the next dark wizard gets powerful, and happens to come after them, what if I can't save them? What do we do if they're in danger?"

She thought about this, then firmly wiped her eyes and looked into his own.

"We fight."

* * *

><p>The Burrow was packed with people.<p>

The Weasley's and Potter's had all gathered together for Christmas day and the Order members joined the family, along with the Grangers, The Johnsons and several other parents of the wives of Weasley children.

Ginny sat between Hermione and Fleur, who were discussing baby names and paint shades for the nursery.

Harry, Ron and George were teaching Teddy and Victoire to play Exploding Snap whilst Bill and Percy were talking with their father about work at the Ministry.

"So it's really only a matter of time before we stamp out the use of words such as 'Mudblood' altogether. We're introducing a very high fine for anyone who uses discriminating words against a muggleborn, squib or half-blood." Percy informed them.

"Wow Perce, that's real progress!" Bill sounded impressed.

"My son, the Minister!" Mrs Weasley said proudly, smiling and patting Percy's head on her way past with a trayful of pigs in blankets.

Percy adjusted his glasses and then began to discuss the pros and cons of veritaserum.

"SNAP!" Teddy shrieked as he slammed his giant squid card onto the one Ron had just put down and both exploded.

Victoire cheered and Teddy's hair turned flaming red with happiness.

He felt his head, then his eyes lit up.

He squeezed his eyes shut tight and freckles suddenly appeared across his nose and cheeks.

"Look everyone!" he yelled excitedly, standing up on his chair. "I'm a Weasley!"

Everyone burst out laughing, and Mrs Weasley hooked an arm around Teddy's waist and planted him on the floor.

The door opened and Charlie popped his head around it, wearing a Santa hat. "Merry Christmas!"

"Charlie dear, good to see you!" Molly embraced her son. "I thought you said you were arriving at ten o clock?"

"I got delayed - you know I don't like apparating long-distance and I'm still a bit unfamiliar with Muggle transport. I came here in a 'ca'r." Charlie smiled and Mr Weasley's eyes lit up.

"Can I-"

"NO, Arthur!" Molly said, her wand pointed in front of her at a tower of levitating roast potatoes.

Ron and Harry caught each others eye and grinned, remembering a similar conversation about cars that had taken place before they returned to Hogwarts for their second year.

Harry left Ron and George to try and convince Victoire that it really would be better if she gave them Ron's wand back and went to a corner of the sitting room where he could see Hagrid.

As he got closer he realised that several other Hogwarts teachers were here; he supposed Molly had invited the whole Order, but it seemed strange to find Professor McGonnogal sat in an armchair in the house that he'd practically grown up in.

"Professor McGonnogal, hi." he grinned and nodded at Hagrid as he sat down.

"Potter, it's good to see you again!" she smiled warmly. "How have you been?"

"Good, good. I'm an Auror for the Ministry of Magic now. As is Ron." he gestured towards the table where his brother-in-law had retrieved his wand, but had sprouted a pair of horns on the top of his head.

"Making the most of the No-N.E.W.T.s rule?" she joked - anyone who had fought at the battle of Hogwarts had been allowed by the Minister of Magic to have any job they wanted - meaning Ron and Harry had immediately decided to become Aurors, whilst Hermione returned to Hogwarts to complete her N.E.W.T.s and then went on to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"And your wife, Ginny, is a Seeker for the Holy Head Harpies if I'm not mistaken?"

Harry nodded.

"She does play well; since she and Angelina Weasley joined it's a whole different team! Though Angelina's on maternity leave at the moment, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she was due a week ago, I think. That reminds me, Ginny's going to have to leave as well." he said, almost to himself.

"Why's that?"

"She's pregnant. Four months." he smiled and Professor McGonnogal beamed.

"Congratulations Potter!" she stood to hug him, then held him at arms length. "I just wanted you to know... I'm proud to say that you were in my house."

"Thanks, Professor." he nodded at Professor Flitwick and Hagrid, then went back to the other room.

He looked around, but Teddy, Victoire, Bill, Ron, George and Charlie were nowhere to be seen.

"Have you seen Ron?" he asked Percy, who was bouncing baby Molly on his lap, her red curls bobbing up and down.

Percy shook his head without taking his eyes off his daughter.

Suddenly, Ron appeared.

"Harry, come on, you will not believe what Charlie's brought!"

Letting himself be led outside, they turned the corner and saw a battered old Saab parked a little way from the Burrow, its boot open and the men crowded around it.

Peering over the top of their heads, Harry couldn't believe his eyes.

In a cage in the boot of the car was a very small, very green dragon.

It stretched its leathery wings and growled, a thin plume of smoke drifting from its nostrils.

"Charlie, what are you doing with a dragon?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Well, I was on my way here when work called and told me they'd heard about some Muggles saying they'd seen a dragon-like creature in this part of the woods near where I was. They asked me to check it out and, if it was a dragon, bring it with me when I went back to Romania after the holidays. I thought I'd bring it here to show you, but trouble is, I don't know what to do with it now! Mum'll go mental if she finds out I'm keeping a dragon in the boot of my car, and it'd be cruel to keep him cooped up in the dark for two weeks anyway! I just wish there was someone I knew who could look after him!" Charlie explained glumly.

Ron caught Harry's eye and Harry grinned.

"I think I know just the person."

* * *

><p>Several hours later, the mountains of food had disappeared and the presents had been unwrapped.<p>

Teddy was whizzing round on a broomstick whilst Victoire sat in a corner, plonking leaves and sweet wrappers into the plastic cauldron she had gotten off her parents.

Several people had bid them farewell, including Hagrid, who had been taken to Charlie's car by Harry and given the dragon.

He had beamed in ecstasy and pulled Harry into a bone-crunching hug, before leaving with the dragon, cooing about teddy bears and bowls of chicken blood.

Inside it was quiet.

Several people were drinking teas and coffees, and glasses of Ogdons Old Fire Whisky were being brought around by Molly.

He took one absent-mindedly, watching his wife laughing with Anglina and Hermione and Fleur.

Her bump was small but defined; you wouldn't know for sure she was pregnant unless someone told you, but most people would presume she was anyway.

Suddenly her brow furrowed.

Her hand rested on her belly and then her head shot up, her eyes meeting his immediately.

"Harry. He's kicking."

Rushing across the room, his hand flew to Ginny's stomach and she guided it to the left side of her abdomen.

At first he could feel nothing, then, quite suddenly, a burst of movement, like bubbles popping, pattered against his hand.

He looked up at Ginny, beaming and saw she had tears in her eyes.

"He's gonna be a Quidditch player!" Harry grinned as he kissed her.

It was then he noticed how everyone had gone silent and glanced around awkwardly.

Everyone resumed chatting again and he turned back to Ginny, who had a hand covering her mouth to stifle her laughter, and he chuckled along with her, planting a quick kiss on her lips and then standing up and walking out of the room.

He found Percy in the hallway, rocking a restless Molly who seemed to have gotten to the point were she was too tired to sleep.

Neville and Luna, who were now engaged, walked into the hall, calling goodbye to everyone.

"See you Harry." Neville grinned and Harry hugged both him and Luna as they left.

Percy checked his watch and then turned to Harry.

"Sorry, Harry, but would you hold Molly for a moment? I was meant to send some papers into the ministry a while ago and I can't give her to Audrey because she said she needed to call her mother to wish her a merry Christmas an hour ago, and whenever I try to talk to her she just waves and mimes for me to go away." Percy asked desperately.

"Err, sure." Harry tried to mimic the way Percy held his hands as Molly was pushed into them and Percy rushed off to gather parchment and a quill.

He rocked the baby a little and found that if he adjusted his arms, she fit quite comfortably in them.

She stared up at him with huge brown eyes and stopped grizzling.

He smiled a little at her inquisitive expression and as he reached to push his hair out of his eyes, Molly grabbed his finger tightly.

He marvelled at how something so small could have such strength, could hold on so tightly.

He heard a noise and Ginny appeared at the door.

Harry smiled at her in awe.

"We're having a baby."

* * *

><p>Harry and Ginny walked through St Mungo's, their entwined hands swinging backwards and forwards.<p>

They chattered excitedly, and people smiled at the sight of this loved-up couple, a baby bump protruding from the woman's stomach.

It was a rare sight to see smiling people in St Mungo's, but a new maternity ward had brightened up the patients considerably.

Harry and Ginny were on their way to the Sixth Floor, for their first scan.

Though Muggles usually had their first ultrasound at around 12 weeks, it was more common in the Wizarding world for witches to have theirs around the fourth or fifth month.

They sat down in the waiting room, still talking.

"We're going to see our baby!" Ginny said excitedly, and then her hand fluttered to her stomach. She giggled: "He's excited too! Feel, he's kicking!"

Harry put a hand on Ginny's stomach and felt his son or daughter kick at his hand.

He or she seemed to be more active when they heard his or Ginny's voice, and the baby did seem to be excited, its little feet kicking rapidly like it was running.

Harry had a thought and lowered his ear to Ginny's belly.

He could hear something faintly and, looking quickly around the empty waiting room, glanced up at Ginny - "Fancy a preview?"

He pressed his wand lightly to her belly and muttered "Sonoras".

A heartbeat filled the room, thrumming lightly and the gloops and bubbling sounds of water could be heard as well.

"It's beautiful." Ginny whispered, her eyes wide.

The door to the ultrasound room opened and both Harry and Ginny jumped guiltily, though they weren't sure why.

With a swish of his wand, the sound stopped and the Healer laughed.

"I'm impressed! You're one of the few people to try that!" she ushered for Harry and Ginny to come into her office and Harry helped his wife up and followed her into the room.

After settling on the bed and pulling her t-shirt up to the top of her stomach, Ginny took Harry's hand and waited for the Healer to say something.

"Well, you might have heard about the Muggle ultrasounds, but this is a little different. You'll see the baby on a screen, but we'll be using a wand to see it. Just hang on..." the Healer placed several miniscule wires linked to the screen onto her wand, prodded Ginny's stomach gently with it, muttered "Agrandiro" and an image appeared on the screen.

Harry and Ginny gazed in amazement at their child, its hands waving a little.

"Would you like to know the sex?" the Healer asked and both nodded numbly.

She moved the wand a little and peered at the screen.

"It's a boy." she smiled.

"A boy. Baby James." Ginny smiled, and Harry looked at her.

"Really?" he grinned.

"I found the sheet of baby names the other day. I know how much you want to name him after your father and... I do too." she smiled and he kissed her happily.

"Thank you." he whispered in her ear.

"She smiled, took his hand and placed it next to the Healer's wand on her abdomen.

"Thank _you_." she whispered back.

* * *

><p><strong>Do you like it? Should I continue as several one shots up until Albus gets to Hogwarts and then do a storyline? Comment with any thoughts and ideas please :)<strong>

**Mrs Doctor Who 11 xx**


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